diehardbassfishing

Was so excited about the much hailed Fall Bite. But "I got nothin'..." Guess it's only for the boiling hot lakes in CA and such, that finally come down to a reasonable temperature. Upstate NY has been closed for me as soon has we had consecutive cold nights. Looking forward to Florida trip in November... Karl

A lot of "blowups" are carp - not bass. Especially if it seems too big to be true. I see the pic posted of TX rig ribbon tail worm. This has been my go to this season. Without it I'd guess that my catch would be close to zero. In previous years, crank baits would produce. Locally, this season, crank baits have been pretty much a waste of time. Karl

WHAT! How could it look better than that image. Must be crazy great! I can appreciate that... Karl

I'd talk to the boat owner. Mention that you'd like to bring your own gear. The answers will flow naturally. I do think 4 or 5 rods would be a bit excessive in such an outing. But that comes from someone that never brings more than 1 rod when fishing from the banks, or with a guide... Karl

I look at rod / reel as separate functions. They work together in only the basic obvious way. But one can't make up for a deficiency of the other. Starting out I was a reel nut. The rod didn't matter as long as there was one there. Then after a time, I really needed to see if I could appreciate differences in rods. Quickly found that the rod(s) I was using couldn't honestly handle the rated lure weights. A rod rated for a top end of 3/4 oz should have a tip that handles that weight on a hard cast. This was not so on the popular inexpensive rods I became used to. I just wasn't paying to the details - especially at the extremes. A rod that can't really handle a lure that it's in its stated rating will cause a "shanked" cast. Proper loading of a rod during a cast is a fisherman's best friend. Consistency and max distance are the reward. Good rods don't have to cost $500. But a good rod that any experienced angler would recommend will come from a respected manufacturer and will cost at least $100. And if American made, in the $200-$300 range. I won't go into the sensitivity aspect here - there's plenty of that to read - but a good rod should be used with a good reel. Need to appreciate both for maximum performance. Karl

Oh yea. Gotta ditch the bobber. Never had a bass guide touch one. Never see a pro in a tournament touch one. Look up videos of fishing various soft plastic rigs to see how it's done. I used to be an almost strict hard bait guy. Then after fishing various soft plastic rigs with bass guides, I came to appreciate how well a soft plastic fished correctly produces. I'm sure that at least half my outings I would have been skunked if stuck with hard baits. (Live bait not something I ever fish). Now I enjoy fishing a Texas rigged ribbon tail worm. Much different from cranking a rattle trap! And usually catches more bass. Karl

I'm holding out that the best part is the spool. Looking fwd to finding out. If the spool doesn't cut it, than purple it is... Karl

Yes, NOS = New Old Stock. I've never been crazy with the OG Zillion HLC built with a straight handle. The purple highlights wouldn't be my first choice either. I've always had an eye for the OG Zillion 6.3, and a desire to see how an HLC spool performs. Found both items new to combine. Also nuts for real cork knobs. Not the plastic coated sort. Just cork. So, now it's built. Just waiting for the perfect day to get it wet! Karl

So I built my own out of NOS items! Plus it doesn't have any of the issues I've always had with the OG Zillion HLC. Karl

Oh man. Yup. 20 yrs + of bass fishing. You're singing my song. Welcome to the party. Karl

I'm not impressed. I purchased it AFTER (by bad luck) seeing the Youtube review. My main reason to get this new Sufix line (14 lb) was the claim of 50% less stretch. The video quickly threw cold water on that claim. After purchasing the line, I don't see it either. Now after about 6 outings, the line looks and feels "old". The line is coming off the spool of my baitcaster sorta "kinky". Not loose coils that slowly work their way out, but irregular coils I can only describe as kinky. And the line feels old when passed through my fingers. Irregular, not smooth. Sticking with my Stren 14 lb... Karl

I used to be very myopic with equipment. It was all about the reel. That was it. To me a rod was a rod was a rod. After satisfying most of my curiosities in baitcaster land, I developed an itch to discover (if there was anything to discover) realities in the world of fishing rods. Yes, I was very used to Ugly Sticks, and many many "token" rods. My first "better" rod was a Shimano Crucial. This was a noticeable leap. All my previous rods felt like "noodle" rods in comparison; even though the rods were rated the same. Over time after purchasing rods from St. Croix, McCain, and Duckett it's easy to see and feel how these rods truly rate among the folks that "know"... Karl

I'm totally thrilled by the passion I see coming out in this thread! Two things ring out for me as I digest the out-pouring of assistance: 1) We have to be careful of - "Can't see the forest because of the trees." It's too easy to put equipment on par - or more important - than the best part of fishing. The skill of tricking a bass into taking an artificial bait. This is the #1 pursuit; and much more challenging than rod/reel choice. 2) I'm guessing most of us experienced bass fishermen have started with very humble equipment, and worked our way up. That process is a growing experience, and is best left to evolve on its own. This part 2 is meant for the person receiving advice. Don't get too hung up on buying or doing things from 100% recommendation. Experiment and enjoy the process of bumping and going on your own gut feeling. You'll very quickly find what is best for you. Ok, in context of this thread - hopefully without wasting a ton of money. But bass fishing - by nature - is a sport based much on experimentation, and enjoying the growth process. Karl

Really appreciate cork on my rods, and cork reel handle knobs. I'm big on cork knob upgrading. I play with hybrid and full ceramic bearings. Not a big deal here - don't see any real performance benefit. Mainly for the option of very light lube or no lube operation. My favorite mod is bearing shield (usually one side) removal. Makes flushing and oiling so much more effective. Karl

1-5) Slug-Go 6" T-Rig Unweighted

St. Croix 2 piece. No compromise bait-casting. PC66MF2 6'6" M Fast 1/4-3/4 Lure Wt. $140. Bought mine through eBay store out of Minneapolis - swansonbait. Karl

What He Said... No defect. First bass on the line will cure all doubts. Karl

Yes - the spool needs to be "loaded" to return from cast mode. That means, a reasonably tight drag, and spool with some "pull" on it. When clutch returns to normal line winding mode - it's a two step process. 1- On turning the reel handle the yoke in the reel changes position - allowing the pinion gear to move toward the spool. Must have drag set with some tension to complete this. 2- Now the pinion gear needs to have it's slots line up with the spool axle pin. When they line up, the pinion gear moves farther toward the spool, and is fully engaged. This can happen with no load on the spool - if your lucky. And commonly will. But will always easily engage with load on the spool. Karl Correct on the T-Wing reel. Without the drag set reasonably firm, the mechanics will not rotate enough to release the yoke. Karl

I would recommend Fred Wilson: http://www.flipflytye.com/contact.html I also used this guide service: https://candlewoodlakeguideservice.com/ Karl Update - just spoke to Fred - replied quick to txt message (cell phone in the link). Looks like he could get you on the water on pretty short notice - call/txt him as soon as you can. Think he works mostly referrals. Great guy, great bass guide!

Candlewood Lake Outstanding for Smallies - and has LM too. Aprox 1 hr away from Greenwich. If you are considering, I can look up the guides I used. Karl

I have 2 in the Calcutta line. From my experience and from what I've gathered - they're very well designed reliable reels. The DC Calcuttas are a bit more difficult to lube (spool bearings) than non-DC reels. Don't know if a Curado DC is different. I use mine only occasionally - sort of a novelty in my reel locker. Awesome to throw all kinds of baits, great distance. If you want one, go for it. You'll be very impressed!

Don't overlook the spool ends. Small dab of grease. Clean and lube the phenolic discs that interface with the spool shaft. Under the spool tension knob and under the side plate bearing. (Yea, this is where folks polish the spool ends to mirror finish for "super tuning".) I don't polish the spool ends. Just clean the ends, and the discs they ride against. Then bit of grease where the spool ends touch the phenolic. Do every time you do a bearing clean/lube. Of course with a floating spool design (like Daiwa Zillion) the crank side of the spool ends at the center of the pinion gear. Not at the spool tension cap. Clean and grease in the center of the pinion gear. Above is correct. The spool shaft does not need grease. The grease in your pic was intended for the pinion end where the spool engages for cranking. But obviously went up the whole spool shaft. Dry is best when it comes to the shaft itself. Especially where the shaft (either side) goes into the bearing. You don't want the bearing spinning on the shaft. Karl

The redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus, also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch) is a freshwater fish in the Centrarchidae family and is native to the southeastern United States. Since it is a popular sport fish, it has been introduced to bodies of water all over North America. It is known for its diet of mollusks and snails. Diet The favorite food of this species is snails. These fish meander along lakebeds, seeking and cracking open snails and other shelled creatures. Redears have thick pharyngeal teeth (hard, movable plates in its throat) which allow it to crunch exoskeletons. It is even capable of opening small clams. The specialization of this species for the deep-water, mollusk-feeding niche allows it to be introduced to lakes without the risk of competition with fish that prefer shallower water or surface-feeding. In recent years, the stocking of redear has found new allies due to the fish's ability to eat quagga mussels, a prominent invasive species in many freshwater drainages. Maybe this will help pick a bait - your shellcracker may not be interested in worms. Karl

Really do not believe "Part #6" is the problem. If the Magforce system was operating correctly, the spool would behave. If the spool is centered, and you can turn the spool tension knob from "spool with side to side play" to "no side to side play", spool tension parts are not an issue. It sounds like the magnets have slipped. I've had this happen. A quick check: cast the reel - confirm that the spool is still spinning fast at full mag setting. Next, set the mag control to minimum setting. You may find that the reel now acts like you are using a max setting. The mag control reverses phase if the magnets have shifted position. You can also test this off the water watching free spool performance. Do a simple finger flick of the spool test at high and low mag settings. If what you see in free spool spin times are the reverse of what you should see - the magnets have slipped. Karl